A Matter Of Convenience
by silenced eyes
Summary: [ShikaNaru] "It really was so bothersome loving Naruto, sometimes."


  
  
To think that my first shounen-ai fic for this series would be ShikaNaru xD Well, at least, it's not _completely_ unfounded (well, Naruto could be slashed with any guy in this series and the pairing would probably not be unfounded…). And besides, I do so love crack pairings :D (Mind you, I like my ShikaIno SasuNaru just fine—it's just nice to explore sometimes >D)   
  
This ended up a _lot_ longer than I expected. Hmm…And the style is pretty simple and straightforward. Hope you enjoy!   
  
Spoilers: (Wow I actually have a timeline for once!) Very vague spoilers for the whole series~   
  
Disclaimer: Suffer, Kishimoto-sensei >D Suffer as I take your characters and mutilate them to my whims! (…IE, I don't own Naruto and co.) I also don't own most of the dialogue in the 3rd scene, since I took it straight from the manga.   
  
---   
  
**A Matter of Convenience**   
By Silence   
  
The clouds were nice today.   
  
They rolled by lazily as he watched them with envious eyes. How he wished he could be a cloud. It must be great to not have to do anything but float around aimlessly day after day. He wouldn't have to worry about bothersome things like school or tests…   
  
His attention was abruptly brought back to the matter at hand by a piece of chalk to the head.   
  
"Have you heard anything I said, Shikamaru? If you keep falling asleep during the tests, you'll never graduate to become genin." For all the seriousness of his words, Asuma-sensei's tone was clearly that of mild exasperation rather than true anger. He'd long since given up trying to get through to the boy.   
  
"Hai, hai." Shikamaru sighed and idly rubbed the spot on his head that was hit by the chalk, deciding that maybe he would pay attention during the next test after all. It was so bothersome to have to stay after school to be lectured.   
  
From the corner of his bored gaze, he could see a blonde boy across the hall being reprimanded by one of the teachers. Uzumaki Naruto. He was probably caught doing one of his pranks, again. What a bothersome guy.   
  
---   
  
The clouds were nice today.   
  
He had a good view of them from his seat--that was why he chose it. It also happened to be the one closest to the entrance.   
  
"Are you going to eat that, Shikamaru?"   
  
He turned his head to regard his new teammate, who happened to be eyeing his plate hungrily.   
  
"Nah." He watched as the rather chubby genin thanked him cheerfully and proceeded to help himself to the plate's contents. In Shikamaru's opinion, it was too bothersome to fight over food. Besides, he wasn't even hungry. The only reason he was here in the first place was because Chouji and Ino wanted to celebrate passing Asuma-sensei's bothersome trial earlier today and becoming real genins. What a bothersome team. He'd rather be at home, playing go or shougi. Or better yet, sleeping. That was Shikamaru's idea of a celebration.   
  
"Ramen! Ramen Ramen Ramen! Ohhh…what flavor should I get today?? Miso! No, wait, beef! No no--shrimp! You're going to treat, right, Iruka-sensei?? You promised!!"   
  
Shikamaru blinked slowly, his train of thought had been stopped short at the loud distraction.   
  
"Yes, now calm down. You seem more excited about the ramen than about becoming a genin! You don't know how worried I was that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't pass you."   
  
Shikamaru's eyes traveled lazily to the man settling down next to the bouncing Uzumaki Naruto, who was now drooling on the menu as he scanned it with glazed eyes. At his (ex)teacher's exasperated, and perhaps mildly amused, words, the blonde boy scoffed.   
  
"Worried?? _I_ wasn't worried. There was no _way_ Kakashi-sensei could fail someone as great as me. His test was a piece of cake. That bastard Sasuke had a lot of trouble though." With that, he jumped up on his seat, loudly claiming that he would "definitely kick that idiot's ass!" and "become Hokage and make everyone acknowledge his strength!"   
  
"Naruto! Get down from there--ah, people are looking! Naruto!!" came the distressed hiss of his companion.   
  
Shikamaru looked away from the scene, regretting his decision to come to this stand to celebrate, simply because it was closest. He shook his head with a smirk. What a bothersome guy.   
  
---   
  
The clouds were nice today.   
  
Their sluggish path across the sky matched perfectly the leisurely, unrushed atmosphere of the past few days. He was far from complaining.   
  
He sat back in the chair and bit into his apple absently. He figured he should treasure the time while he could--he knew that soon enough, bothersome days would be coming with the arrival of the final round of the chuunin exam.   
  
He sighed and cast a cursory glance at the sleeping boy on the hospital bed. He hadn't come with the intention of visiting the boy, not really. He was actually here for Chouji, after the bothersome idiot landed himself in the hospital from overeating. He'd even went through the trouble of bringing a fruit basket--all in vain, of course, considering the murderous gleam in the nurse's eyes at even the _suggestion_ of giving Chouji solid foods. He'd left shortly afterward, deciding to spare his teammate the torment of being able to see the food, but not eat it.   
  
He'd had full intentions of going straight home, but was distracted on his trek down the halls by a tuft of bright yellow hair peaking out from white covers. He wasn't a naturally curious person--not when it meant he had to go out of his way to sate such a curiosity, but it would save him the hassle of carrying the fruit basket all the way home. With that reasoning in mind, he'd entered and helped himself to the chair by the bed.   
  
It had been a few hours since then (he hadn't bothered to count how many), and the patient still showed no signs of waking up.   
  
It was unnerving, he decided, as he focused his eyes on the boy once more. It was unnerving to see such a bothersome character as Uzumaki Naruto be so quiet and still. Some might say he was a lot calmer in sleep, and that would probably be true. But he was also a lot plainer, too, he observed. The silently slumbering patient in the bed was hardly recognizable to the loud, prideful Naruto who somehow always managed to capture the attention of those around him, whether he tried to or not (though, truthfully, there was hardly a time when he did not).   
  
He frowned at the direction his thoughts were taking and sighed again. It seemed that even in sleep, Naruto was bothersome.   
  
A glance out the window told him it was getting dark and he should be heading home. He left the basket because, well, that was his reason for visiting Naruto in the first place, wasn't? So he wouldn't have to bring it home? (And if Naruto happened to wake up to find it, then, well, it would just be a coincidence that he would have something to eat.)   
  
He wasn't quite sure why he came back the next day, however—nor the day after that. Perhaps the image of a silent, unmoving Naruto had unsettled him more than he thought. Whatever the reason, he found himself sitting in the same chair two days later, watching the sky and waiting…Waiting for what?, he wondered idly.   
  
"Nn?…Shikamaru…?"   
  
The shock of blue eyes against the stark whiteness of the rest of the room brought a relief to the tension Shikamaru hadn't noticed he'd developed in his shoulders.   
  
"Hey...Finally awake…"   
  
"Where…am I…?" Naruto croaked. Shikamaru sighed and went to the table to get the other boy some water. How bothersome.   
  
"Hospital. You've been asleep for three days." He handed Naruto the glass with a frown, hoping that the other ninja hadn't noticed his slip that implied he'd been waiting here for those three days. Shikamaru couldn't very well explain his actions if he didn't understand them himself.   
  
"Why am I here with you?" Naruto asked suspiciously. And added as an afterthought, "And where's the pervert sennin?"   
  
Shikamaru blinked. Pervert sennin? Who was this idiot babbling about? "Hah? How would I know?" He paused before answering the other question. Why did he feel as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't be? It had all been a matter of convenience, after all--visiting Naruto.   
  
"Well, it sucks but, I came to see Chouji," he explained quickly. "And you were sleeping here, so…"   
  
Naruto's eyes widened with surprise. "Huh? His injuries were that serious?"   
  
He had to suppress a grin at the thought of his idiot teammate. "Don't get confused. Chouji ate so much meat after his fight that he injured his stomach…"   
  
"That's just like him!!" Naruto broke into a laugh--a welcome relief from his unmoving state of only a few minutes prior, in Shikamaru's opinion.   
  
"Heh." He smirked as he looked down at the patient. "Well you two aren't the type to have girls come visit you, so…" His lazily shifting gaze landed absently on the fruit basket on the table.   
  
"Oh yeah. It's stupid but I brought Chouji a fruit basket. But the doc says no, so I thought we could eat it."   
  
"Oh!! Really??"   
  
No, Shikamaru decided with a smirk as he observed Naruto's whole countenance brighten at the mention of food. No, there was no way the sleeping boy from before could be the same person as the bouncing ball of energy in front of him.   
  
"You're a pretty nice guy." Naruto's wild grin had softened into a grateful smile, and Shikamaru had to look away before he did _something_…Did what?, he wondered offhandedly.   
  
"You idiot! It's just because it would be a waste if it spoiled!" he justified, looking anywhere but at the boy in front of him. Why did he suddenly feel so uncomfortable?   
  
Naruto gave no reply, which made Shikamaru refocus his attention on him after a while. Naruto's mischievous smirk was a worrying sight. "What?"   
  
The boy snickered evilly and declared (as if he'd just come up with the greatest idea ever), "We should eat it in front of Chouji!!"   
  
Shikamaru sighed again and raked a hand through his hair. What a hassle. "You're tiring me out…" And it was the truth. He was beginning to regret coming here in the first place.   
  
"Come on!! Come on!!" Naruto threw the covers off himself excitedly and scrambled out of bed at the prospect of another prank.   
  
…And proceeded to fall over on shaky legs.   
  
"Oi oi! Take it easy!"   
  
Not that Naruto paid any heed, so great was his excitement.   
  
And so, they left the room to head over to Chouji's, and if Naruto had to lean on Shikamaru once or twice because of unstable feet, and if Shikamaru had to keep a (barely there, mind you) steadying hand on Naruto's shoulder for a little while at the beginning…well, they had no witness except for unaccusing white walls.   
  
What a bothersome guy.   
  
---   
  
The clouds were nice today.   
  
If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that the events of the past few years hadn't happened--that they were still genin, training with their teams, or students, sleeping through their lessons at the academy. Things had been so uncomplicated, so much less bothersome.   
  
"Oi! Shikamaru!! It's your turn! Are you ignoring me?? Come on! You were the one who wanted to play this stupid game in the first place!"   
  
Shikamaru blinked his eyes open again, to see one Uzumaki Naruto sprawled across the shougi board, glaring at him.   
  
"Oi oi! Get off! You're gonna mess up the pieces!"   
  
…Too late. Shikamaru sighed and slumped in the bed. Oh well, it wasn't like the game was really going anywhere. Not when Naruto barely had enough attention span to keep from fidgeting in his seat every few minutes, much less concentrate on the game.   
  
"Ugh…but I'm so bored!! It's all your fault I'm not outside training and kicking ass right now!"   
  
"Idiot, no one told you you had to stay in with me!" And no one had. Although Naruto should very well have been laying on the hospital bed next to Shikamaru's rather than sitting in the chair at his bedside (considering the injuries he had sustained as well), his unnatural healing ability had prevented that from happening.   
  
It was something that Shikamaru, for all his above 200 IQ, could not figure out. He had seen time after time, mission after mission, Naruto receive injuries that, truthfully, should have killed him--or at least, put him out of commission for indefinite amounts of time. And yet, each time, Naruto seemed to be able to bounce back after a day or two, at most a week, with barely a scratch, while Shikamaru himself was confined to the hospital bed for weeks on end. How was it possible?   
  
"Well, it's _boring_ training by yourself, you know! And it's not like there's anyone else to train with right now!"   
  
It was a lie and they both knew it. Naruto's eternal rival, Sasuke, was always up for a spar, and he, unlike Shikamaru, was perfectly healthy at the moment.   
  
Shikamaru regarded the other chuunin curiously. Was it just him or did Naruto seem a tiny bit flustered? He shrugged--he'd given up trying to understand the boy a long time ago.   
  
Besides, it's not like he could complain (he was maybe even, he grudgingly admitted to himself, a little pleased). Before the loud blonde came this morning, the room had been a bit too quiet, the walls a bit too still, the sky a bit too calm. He'd been…well, bored.   
  
Shikamaru startled out of his own thoughts--since when did he start finding watching the sky, not doing anything, _boring_?   
  
"Ahh! Shikamaru, you bastard! You're ignoring me again!! You should be grateful I'm even blessing you with my presence today!"   
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Ever since he became used to Naruto's endless chatter and restless movements, that was for sure. And it was a valid conclusion, too, considering how much time they did, in fact, spend in each other's company.   
  
Not purposely though, Shikamaru thought. It was often all a matter of convenience, really. After the retrieval of Sasuke, and Naruto's subsequent reward of the chuunin title, they often went on missions together. Not because they _wanted_ to, not really--Shikamaru (since he somehow always managed to be dealt the troublesome role of the team leader) simply often chose him because he knew that Naruto was someone he could trust, not only to not stab him in the back, but also to come through when even he himself couldn't. Eventually, it was because they grew to know each other well enough (in terms of fighting styles, at least) that they worked well together during battle, and it was much too bothersome to go through the time-consuming process of developing such a connection with yet another person. It was perfectly reasonable--it saved him a lot of hassle to have a teammate who knew what he was thinking without him actually saying it. Truly all a matter of convenience, you see.   
  
And it was only natural that they'd spent most days at one of their houses or the other. After all, they frequently came home from missions exhausted and hurt, more often than not, with one of them barely holding up the other, and it was too much of a bother to go back to your own home in that state--it was much more convenient simply staying over for the night. Most times, however, it happened to be Naruto helping Shikamaru home (he blamed it on that unnatural regenerative ability), and really, it was such a hassle jumping in between two houses so often. It would obviously be a lot easier if he simply moved in with Shikamaru—after all, it wasn't like his apartment was a treasure, anyway. Besides, after Shikamaru got a place of his own, there was too much room for one person, and it was too much trouble for two people to live in two houses when they could simply live in one (it was also a very convenient benefit that they happened to have to pay less rent as well). So that's what they did.   
  
"Arrrrghhh! I'm so BORED! Bored bored bored! You're so _boring_, Shikamaru!"   
  
Shikamaru sighed, "Then why don't you go home and _sleep_ or something! Do anything but bother me. Have some pity on an invalid."   
  
"But our house is so far _away_! Ugh, I'd have to walk aaaaaall the way back, and that would make my trip here completely _pointless_," Naruto whined.   
  
"Then stay, whatever! I don't care, as long as you stay silent and stop bothering me."   
  
"But that's so bor--oh! I know! I could sleep _here_!" Naruto grinned wildly at his brilliant idea. "Shove over."   
  
Shikamaru sighed, yet again. He should've known--it's not like he was surprised. He shuffled over to one side of the bed, trying not to jar his injuries while making room for the blonde. It's not like it was the first time they'd slept in the same bed. Occasionally (frequently) Naruto would whine about Shikamaru's bed being bigger and softer and his own being lumpy and uncomfortable (which was possibly true, but that wasn't the point). He would then proceed to sprawl himself across it and claim it as his own. Shikamaru would normally take Naruto's bed instead to avoid the trouble of arguing, but it was always so much of a bother to wade through all the garbage and ramen cups that was Naruto's floor that he convinced Naruto to share instead (why he had to convince someone else to share his _own_ bed was beyond him).   
  
It didn't take long for the snores to start, loud enough to draw the attention of a nearby nurse. Upon seeing two teenage _boys_ in the same bed, she gasped and fainted (was that a blood coming out of her nose? Did she break it from her fall or something?).   
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. What a bothersome guy.   
  
---   
  
The clouds were nice today.   
  
In fact, the weather was nice in general. The light summer breeze rustled the grass he was laying on and birds chirped in the distance. It was a good day to be cloud-watching, and he was glad he'd managed to scrounge up the time to do it. Missions barely left any leisure time--he was beginning to regret ever becoming a jounin.   
  
The boy who'd been leaning heavily on his shoulder increased his death grip on his waist.   
  
He sighed. Who would've known Uzumaki Naruto was such a snuggler? Perhaps it had been a mistake getting involved with him in the first place. But, no--not doing so would probably have been an even bigger bother.   
  
He'd grown tired of it after a while. After the initial self-denial, it'd grown to be too much trouble to explain that no, he was not having nightmares, to make excuses for the evidence of his dreams on the sheets, to hide his inexplicable attraction to the blonde young man. It had been too much of a bother to have his heart skip a beat, his hands become clammy, his stomach grow queasy every time they touched or talked or did anything together (as they usually did). It was a secret that had been too tiring to keep.   
  
It was really all a matter of convenience, really. He only kissed the blonde to stop his heart from going a million miles a minute, only touched him to stop the strange ache he got in his skin sometimes, only laid with him every night because the other's nightmares would inevitably keep himself awake, only comforted him because his pain would somehow trigger an invisible hand to clench around his own heart. It was much too bothersome to have to live with these annoying afflictions when they could be solved so easily.   
  
Naruto shivered as the breeze picked up, attempting to bury deeper into his side.   
  
He sighed as he regarded the thin white robes that Naruto had to wear. Really, it was no wonder the other man was cold.   
  
He wrapped his free arm casually around the other's torso in attempts to lend a bit a of his own body heat. It wasn't like he was doing it out of his own free will, mind you. He was simply saving himself the trouble of worrying over Naruto later when he caught a cold (not that Naruto ever did catch colds, but that was besides the point).   
  
He uttered a long-suffering sigh. It really was so bothersome loving Naruto, sometimes.   
  
"…Shikamaru…" Naruto mumbled in his sleep, the fingers clutching Shikamaru's hip tightening briefly.   
  
With a smile coming unbidden, Shikamaru lazily picked up Naruto's wide-rimmed straw hat that had been abandoned earlier and placed it on top of his own face, obscuring his vision of the clouds (Naruto hopefully wouldn't find that his hat was being used as an eye mask).   
  
He supposed it was pretty convenient that Naruto loved back.   
  
And if (since) that were true, then, well, he guessed he didn't mind too much how bothersome it was to be in love.   
  
---   
  
There. I somehow managed to make it sappy without being romantic. The worst of both worlds -_- Honestly, how I managed to make it so completely unromantic is beyond me. And yes, it was rather tame--but hey, my excuse is that if it got any…racier (xDDD) Shikamaru would run away for sure…Mendokusei :T   
  
R/R and such. 


End file.
